Herbed Butter

Whether you are grilling ears of corn, cauliflowers steaks or foil packets with potatoes and onions, this make-ahead Herbed Butter is a time-saver when cooking vegetables on the grill. It’s the tastiest way to grill the best that summer has to offer!

In the summer, my husband and I use our outdoor grill often—at least four times each week. We enjoy grilling meats, seafood and vegetables of all kinds. Fresh corn, potatoes, peppers and onions are the most common for us to add to a meal.

I noticed that I was using some of the same flavor combinations repeatedly, adding the same seasonings, especially when grilling veggies. In order to save some time, I came up with this slick trick for making herbed butters with our favorite flavors.

What is Herbed Butter?

To make herbed butter, I simply added dried herbs and spices, such as garlic powder, chives, dried basil, parsley and oregano to a stick of softened, unsalted butter. Once combined, I transferred the butter mixture to a piece of parchment paper. I rolled the butter into a long log and folded and sealed the ends.  I labeled the butter and placed it in the freezer for about an hour to harden.

A mixture of dried dill, garlic powder and parsley make a tasty Ranch Butter, which is great to use on fresh corn and potatoes cooked in foil packets on the grill. While a mixture of crushed red pepper flakes, Italian Seasonings, and minced garlic make a kicked-up Zesty Italian Butter and can be tossed in with grilled red, green and yellow peppers.

The combinations are endless and can be personalized to your taste. If you grill fish often, add black pepper, garlic salt and lemon zest to unsalted butter. If chicken is regularly on the menu, add dried thyme, black pepper, paprika and onion powder to your butter. Using the herbed butter on vegetables and meats will flavor your food while also keeping it moist on the grill.

Once frozen, you can slice it into discs. Place a disc of herbed butter on your veggies or meat on the grill. It is just that simple. Place unused herbed butter in a small plastic bag and store it in the freezer.

This is truly a hassle-free way to make your grilled veggies flavorful and seasoned perfectly every time. Here are the recipes I use for Ranch Butter and Zesty Italian Butter.

Ranch Butter

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Zesty Italian Butter

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasonings
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

How to make Herbed Butter?

• Combine butter, spices, and herbs in a small bowl. Transfer to a piece of wax or parchment paper.
• Roll and shape the butter into a log and fold the ends together. Label the butter and freeze for an hour.
• When frozen, slice into discs to use in your favorite recipes.

One of our all time favorite combinations to grill in a foil packets are fresh summer corn and potato packets. Here’s how to make them.

Fresh Corn and Potato Packets with Ranch Butter

Ingredients:

• 2 ears fresh corn, kernels removed from the cob
• 2 medium gold potatoes, sliced
• 2 discs of Ranch Butter

How to make foil packets for the grill?

• Preheat the grill to 400 degrees.
• Place corn from one ear and one sliced potato in the center of a large piece of foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Place one disc of Ranch Butter on top of the vegetables.
• Fold the edges of the foil to the center and seal the top and sides of the foil packet. Make a second foil packet with remaining ingredients.
• Grill both packets at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Allow foil packets to cool slightly before cutting open.